Life was made so much harder for Gerard Houllier at Anfield when he decided to take on God. Despite Fowlers abundance of goals plundered for the Reds, and his Messiah-like stature amongst the Kopites, Houllier was still prepared to push him through the exit. Having dropped him for the first leg of a Worthington Cup semi-final meeting with Crystal Palace, the Frenchman simply offered the reason that he decided he was not, although he did hint that it may had something to do with Fowlers late night antics the week before.
''Robbie would acknowledge that being outside a city centre bar at two in the morning is at the wrong place and wrong time for any professional footballer. I feel strongly about that and have pointed it out, but there was no punishment in playing him in the reserves on Monday. - Gerard Houllier, January 2001.
While the Scouse icon captained the side to victory in the Worthington Cup final, he was restricted to cameo appearances in the finals of the FA Cup and UEFA Cup, before being dropped completely for the following seasons Charity Shield encounter with Manchester United following a bust-up with assistant boss Phil Thompson. It would prove to be his last season for the club - until he was brought back as a 29 year old on a free transfer - and Fowler maintains that he never wanted to leave in the first place.
''I know I should still be at Liverpool now. Its easy for me to blame Gerard Houllier for what happened, easy for me to say that I made a huge mistake in allowing his underhand campaign to force me out. Houllier did what he had to do, I guess he did what he thought was in the best interests of the club. However, I still wish he hadnt walked in that door at the start of the 1998 season. Houllier never gave me any respect. - Robbie Fowler, February 2004.
So, that's a wrap - what do you think? As always, feel free to leave your thoughts and opinions in the comment section below.
Recent Journalism & New Media graduate. Insatiable thirst for all things football, and hopes to break into the field of sports journalism in the near future.
Have made a significantly insignificant playing career out of receiving several slaps around the head for not passing the ball.
